Down the Avenue
by DrinkofWater
Summary: Things are looking up for Korra. She's defeated Amon, won Mako's heart, and taken her bending to a new level. A picture-perfect life? Hardly. As the Avatar struggles with her purpose, an old rival searches to find one. Tahorra.
1. Chapter 1

It was dawn. By the docks of Republic City, in the silence of the early morning, a tall, sinewy figure dragged his feet down an empty shipping dock. He was tired after another sleepless night and ached for rest of the mind, if it refused him in the body. Over the past few months, this had been his ritual: walking out to the waterfront at sunrise, dangling his feet over the waves, feeling their rhythm and pulse. It was the closest he could come to waterbending, or peace of mind for that matter. The young man sat down at the end of the pier, let his legs hang over and back lay flat against the weathered wood, and closed his eyes. The sensation was beautiful.

Sea air brushing against his face, weaving crisply through the hair of his arms. Water undulating just feet below him, beating against the shore like a heartbeat, _his_ heartbeat. He allowed his mind to drift with the water and carry him to a certain lake, so many years ago. He remembered floating on the surface, bending a bubble of water that encased him, preserved him from the world. Paradise.

"Tahno! What are you doing here?"

That voice. It was familiar, but he couldn't place it.

The man's muscled tightened, jaw clenched. He snapped to his feet and briefly considered throwing up the hood of his cape and making a run for it. Since the incident, Tahno had made every effort to become invisible, to give the world as few reminders as possible of his failure. No one needed to see him like this. But there was no escaping now. And though the last few months had put his pride through a meat grinder, his anger was firmly intact.

"Get. Out," he snarled under his breath. That would be the first warning to the visitor who dared to destroy his morning. But when Tahno's eyes rose to shoot a poisonous glare, he froze.

Standing by the entrance of the docks was the Avatar, that Korra girl, wrapped in water tribe furs and an irritated expression. His temper escaped him and in an instant Tahno was just another lonely man on the docks. Not boiling, not raring for a fight, but cold and tired and aggressively antisocial.

No Korra wasn't half bad, no, he had no reason to greet her like he did, but Tahno wasn't in the mood for small talk. Or apologies. The morning was already embarrassing enough. He made his way past the girl, gave her a half-hearted wave, and started a long walk home. Never mind that he'd left Korra clueless behind him, with a dumbstruck expression that demanded answers. She would have the live with that. After all, Korra was the Avatar, the celebrity, with a blossoming romance (so the tabloids said) and adoring fans. The poor, tortured girl would just have to cope with the confusion.

"It's nice to see you too," she quipped from behind. Ugh. The pest was following him.

He swiveled to face Korra, to say something that would shoo her away. But the minute he saw, her, really _saw _her face instead of just sneering at it, Tahno realized that would be easier said than done. The girl's hair was soaked and lay flat on her shoulders, lacking its usual spunk. Soaked? That's right. It _had_ been raining, hadn't it? As if to convince himself, Tahno rubbed the leg of his damp pants and remembered what hours of brooding had made him forget: last night's terrible storm. Had she been up all night too? Korra's face suggested it. The girl's skin was paler than usual, a bit too pasty for a waterbender, but he was no one talk. And her clothes, they looked ridiculous even in the early morning. Thick and white, her furs were ready for the artic poles, not a stroll through Republic City. It was all too bizarre to dismiss.

And those eyes. They were the only thing that hadn't changed. Aqua and clear, every bit as bright with hope as they'd been the last time he saw her, before the police inquiry. So she wasn't suffering _inside_. Whatever circumstances left her looking the way she did that morning, they hadn't reached her soul. Not like his.

"Listen uhh-vatar," Tahno said, trying to ignore the girl's cocked eyebrow and confident stare. It reminded him too much of himself. Well, his old self at least. "Listen. I don't have anything against you. But do I _look_ like I'm in the mood for small talk?"

"No," she countered, irritation quickly returning to her pretty features. "_You_ look like you almost drowned. What happened?"

_Drowned._ The words sunk in cold and fast. As a waterbender, the waves could never consume him. But now...

It was the ultimate insult.

"_You_ look like you've been drinking _cactus_ juice all night," Tahno fired back, his eyes scanning her to prove the point. "Who's the one worse for wear, hmm uh-avatar?" His taunting sneer morphed into a glare of pure resentment. There was nothing more to say to her.

But Korra knew something had to be said. When the glint of malice dimmed from his eyes, the shame, the self-hatred...they were obvious. She instantly regretted her words and, the second Tahno turned to leave her, Korra slapped her face in frustration. Without thinking, the avatar called a palmful of water from the bay and swirled it nervously in her hands, wishing for something, _anything_ that would heal the wound. Water couldn't fix her problems this time. She let it fall to splash at her feet and ran for him.

"Tahno, hold up!" He said nothing, walking on as if she didn't exist. At the end of the street, the man waved for a cab.

"Tahno, listen to me!"

He was doing anything but. By the time Korra reached him, a taxi was already rumbling up the street.

"TAHNO!" She was beside him now, as close as she dared to stand and doing everything she could to keep from bending. That would only add insult to injury and clearly, there were already plenty of both.

Even with Korra screaming in his ear, Tahno held his temper, refusing to give her the satisfaction of a sneer. At last the taxi slowed to a stop.

He stepped into the street.

"I got him for you!"

Tahno froze, signaled the driver the wait with a haughty flick of the hand, and turned to her. "What did you say?"

"I got him for you."


	2. Chapter 2

Korra met Tahno where he stood in the street, standing just inches from his incredulous expression. It reminded her of the way they met, toe-to-toe, eye-to-eye, swapping trash talk in Narook's. But she was talking to a different man. His hair lay flat, limp and lifeless and wet like hers. Bags still hung from his violet eyes as they had in the station, and those eyes- they'd lost their spark, the glimmer and rage they'd held in the arena. Now they were zeroed in on hers, waiting for an answer.

"Amon," Korra said, jabbing her thumb behind them, to the arena where, just six months ago, the Equalist leader smashed through a window. Scaffolding surrounded the golden stadium now, just another one of Tenzin's initiatives to improve the city. She was shocked he would vouch for the arena, of all places. But the old master knew what it meant to her. "You wanted me to get him for you. I did. And I'm sorry. You don't look yourself- I wanted to know why. I'm not exactly myself right now either, so, maybe…maybe we both have some explaining to do."

The taxi beeped impatiently, and Tahno, in a quirk spurt of anger, turned his head to the driver, giving what Korra imagined must have been a glare. He turned back to her, rolled his eyes, and motioned for her to follow him. They left the taxi driver fuming and walked in silence to a closed-down teashop, where Tahno promptly began to force the door open- with his fists.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Korra cried, trying to elbow her way between the door and its aggressor. "It's closed!"

"Closed is _relative_. The signs says closed. _I _read open." He slammed his thin, but evidently muscular frame against the door, and it gave with a satisfying crack. "You're a _much_ too linear thinker."

He had to be mad. That was the only option. Tangled in depression, maybe, too blinded with disappointment and shame to think clearly. Korra never took pride in being rational, at her worst she was downright rash, but this was ridiculous. The avatar felt Air Temple Island calling. Sure, things had been complicated there lately, but it was better than this insanity, and insanity was the last thing she needed to be around right now. No. She couldn't leave him like this. She was the Avatar, and the Avatar didn't leave people to ravage buildings.

Feeling a smidge hypocritical (she'd smashed open a few storefronts herself, after all) Korra ushered a gust of wind from the street and primed it to shove Tahno aside. Hands behind her back, shaping and hiding the blow, Korra stepped in behind him.

"Isn't it lovely?" Tahno crooned, introducing the shop with a dramatic swoop of his arm.

It was.

The tea shop was nothing like Korra expected. The outside was ravaged, seedy, and falling apart at the seams. But here, aside from the boarded windows, it looked every bit the luxury establishment, as if its owner never left. The place was decked out in a blend of Fire Nation finery and something else, a more exotic, tribal style she couldn't quite place. Low-set, tastefully-decorated tables, with chairs in the shape of leaves, clustered around the windows and what looked like a bar. A bar? It was a bizarre thing to see in a tea shop, but here it looked right. Stretching the length of the left wall, the bar was lined with stools in front and shelves behind, shelves stocked with great jars of tea in strange varieties. Above them a long catgator was carved into the wood of the wall.

"This…this is amazing." Korra felt the urge to continue her compliments, to go on and on about how peaceful the setting was, how incredible the decoration, but the words escaped her. The accolades would have to wait. After all, she was still recovering from shock. Never in a thousand empires had she expected something like this. But the Avatar couldn't stall here, her mouth gaped open like an idiot. She had to make a move. Ask questions? Demand answers? The decision need to be made- quickly.

Tahno saved her the effort. With a weak but appreciative smile, he gestured to the bar. Before Korra could protest the man was already behind the counter, brewing up hot tea that filled the place with a crisp, earthy aroma.

It wasn't Korra's nature to stop for tea, not when she had a thousand questions beating at the walls of her mind, ordering her to resolve them. But it had been a long night, a long, cold night that left her with a hole in her chest. It was about time she started following Tenzin's advice.

_Inhale. Exhale. Look around you and inside you. Tend to what you see and then determine a course of action._

They were cryptic words, the kind of council Korra hated to decipher. But now, well, they at least made a spoonful of sense.

_Look around you…_

Tahno reached for a jar of honey and dabbed that small amount in her cup. He stirred it swiftly and pushed the brew to the edge of the bar. An invitation.

_And inside you._

Korra's stomach was empty and aching, her mind troubled with more worries than she could count on one hand.

The answer seemed obvious.

It couldn't be. Was her next course of action as simple as accepting the tea? According to Tenzin's logic, it would the only thing that would satisfy both of them. But as Korra chose a seat at the bar and accepted a caramel-colored cup from the lanky, silent man behind the counter, she felt anything but satisfied. This wasn't like her. Normally the Avatar would have pursued a more, well, _proactive _course of action. A little interrogation maybe, not this ridiculous impromptu tea party.

She took a reluctant sip, lips on the cup, stare aimed at Tahno. Korra was determined to keep an eye on him, determined for a whole four seconds until a soft wave of heat slid down her throat, caressing its dry walls and settling as a warm aura in her stomach.

The calming tea having won over all plans of action, Korra sat silently at the bar and drank.

On the other side, Tahno leaned his long frame against the counter and brewed a cup of his own, doing everything in his power to avoid eye contact with the shop's first customer in months. All he wanted to do was get away from her, escape conversations that would inevitably lead to the past. Nevermind that Korra looked almost as ragged as he did. Nevermind that she was savoring his tea and had a kind word to say about Amon. She was a relic of his past. Relics of the past lead to the past and Tahno was running in the opposite direction. Just _why _did he decide to let her in? His sanctuary, of all places.

All he had to do was say "Thank you" and jump in the taxi.

_Thank you_.

The words were gravel in his mind. Maybe he wasn't ready for that. Maybe this was the easiest way to make amends, but amends were made and the Avatar was overstaying her welcome. _How to get her out of here_?

"You don't have to stomach it, you know," Tahno remarked under his breath. The sudden sharpness made Korra twitch.

"What did you say?" she asked with more than a hint of annoyance.

"You don't have to stomach it. Between the Air Temple and that Future Industries princess I'm sure you're used to the best." His eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't want to get sick from the local brew."

What was this? Korra felt the cup threaten to crack as her grip tightened. Her nastiest glare was doing nothing to the ex-bender's taunting sneer. What was wrong with him? One moment Tahno gave the impression of a friend, the other his voice dripped venom. It was infuriating. And after all she'd done…

"Listen!" Korra snapped to her feet, slid the teacup across the bar just slow enough for Tahno to catch it, and pointed an accusing finger his way. "I know you've been through a lot, but we all have! And if this is who you want to be, I can't stop you." The momentum in her voice slowed and her arm fell to her side. Exhausted with the conversation, Korra met Tahno's eyes and sighed. "You wanted me to get Amon for you, I did."

She walked to the exit and with a gust of air, brushed the door debris to the side.

"You want me out, I'm leaving. "

Korra turned her head to the dumbfounded man at the bar and leered.

"What more do you want?"

"I don't think that would be wise." Tahno came out from behind the bar and strode toward her.

"What?" The Avatar turned to face him, her expression a mix of anger and confusion. "Is that a threat? You can't stop me from going."

Tahno's brow, which for the last five minutes had creased with irritation, relaxed and transformed his features. His lips curled into a small, understanding smile.

"No," Tahno cocked his head to stare at the door frame behind her, "I can't stop you. But the boards will."

His words sounded like another game, and she was done with them. Just as Korra took her first step to leave, her foot met with a wooden plank against the wall. They collided with a "thunk" and the board slid to the ground. Something shifted above them.

_Avalanche._

The Avatar leaped from a path of nails and wood crashing to the floor. Her back collided with a tea table, the impact sending a hot wave of pain down her spine and flung the table, chairs, and her bundled frame to the ground.

The world spun for as Korra lay in excruciating discomfort, her legs protesting when she tried to move. Whether Tahno liked it or not, the Avatar wouldn't be leaving anytime soon.

A figure stood above her now, its face framed with limp black hair, arm outstretched toward her.

* * *

**Chapter two is finally up! Finally! A big thank you to everyone who's reviewed, favorited, and followed this story- your support means everything. Chapter three should be on the way soon, so don't worry about another long wait. Korra is really tangled up now and I can't wait for her to learn what's really happening at tea bar.**

**Let me know what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

"Listen, I didn't mean to set you off."

Tahno was seated across the table from Korra, reclining back into his chair as if the two of them had just concluded a relaxing afternoon stroll.

In reality, Korra had just recovered from crashing spine-first into a tea table. She'd seen her fair share of cuts and bruises, sure, but this morning her body needed a bit more recovery than usual. Maybe it was the night she'd survived, running frantically though the city, looking for the one man who _might_ be able to solve her problems. That, coupled with a largely infuriating encounter with the _wrong_ man, was more than enough to send her blood-pressure skyrocketing.

At least the wrong man was doing his best to be right.

On the table sat a steaming cup of what Tahno called "the best remedy in Republic City". Korra doubted that. For a brief moment, she considered asking him for a cup of water. Her bending was all the medicine she needed, the _perfect _remedy.

Perfect until she remembered.

_Tahno might be a bad host, but I'd be the world's worst guest if I asked for that._

A brief image of Amon, their old nightmare, flashed in Korra's mind. She'd been off the stage when Tahno and the Wolfbats lost their gift, but she heard the screams. They all did.

Now wasn't exactly the time for a bending showcase.

"Uhh-vatar. You alive?"

"What?" Korra's head whipped up from her lap, bloodshot eyes wide. Now Tahno was the one concerned.

"Are the lights on upstairs? Come on. You can't appreciate that tea if you're comatose." Tahno was leaning on the table, head propped up on his long, intertwined fingers. He shoulders, hunched high and parallel to his chin, gave the man the appearance of a Wolfbat. _That_ woke her up. His old team's name was appropriate after all.

"Somehow I get the impression you're not listening." He rolled his violet eyes and leaned back into his chair. "How could I _possibly _get that idea?"

He had a point. Worn out and half consumed with imagining Tahno as a flying mammal, Korra had let the logical part of her brain fly out the window faster than an air temple lemur. Tahno's words made it slowly glide to earth.

"Oh, um…" The Avatar paused as she tried to remember the question, scratching her matted hair and suddenly wishing she had Asami, Bolin, _anyone_ there to make the situation less uncomfortable. Korra could deal with out-of-line councilmen and activist overlords, but something like this…

It required a different kind of tact.

"I don't know a better way to say this, but-" She sighed, swallowed, and forced herself to continue. "Why did you bring me here? Yell at me and treat me like yesterday's garbage? I didn't do anything to you." Korra threw her hands up into the air and shifted in her seat to face away from Tahno. She had to wonder whether this conversation was even worth the time. After all, her back and legs were already feeling firmer, stronger. They weren't perfect, but they could take her to the Air Temple at least. Korra knew that much. She could leave any moment now.

Tahno knew it too. "_Uhh_-vater..."

"Can you just call me Korra?"

"What? Don't like the nickname? Alright _Korrrruh_."

She had to stifle a laugh. The ex-bender was going to be stubborn as always.

"I brought you here because tea's all I have for you. You know, in return." Every inch of Tahno's face was scrunched in discomfort, as if he'd just smelled something particularly disgusting.

"In return for what?" Korra asked, determined to get the words out of him. His response made her feel cruel.

"For getting Amon! What do you think? And what _else_ could I offer you? Some bending advice? I don't think so," Tahno snarled, mustering his menace as a mask. It was the mask he'd always worn, even before the disaster. His way of becoming another man. "Do you think I could treat you to dinner with all my _fabulous_ award winnings? No they're stuffing the pockets of so-called-healers, men who promised they could save me. Men who lied." Tahno pressed his hands against the table and raised his chest to meet Korra's eyes. "And now this is the only prize in my hands. This run-down dump and a shelf-full of herbs." He flung an arm towards them and dismissed the collection with a flick of a wrist." Excuse me if you were dissatisfied by my hospitality. Excuse me, all-powerful _Uhh-vatar_, if I didn't know how to worship the ground you walked on, the ground you glide across like a god."

Tahno's face was craned above Korra's, glaring into her incredulous expression. Sea-blue eyes wide, mouth agape, and the strain of a hard night weighing on her brow, the man felt a drop of sympathy for the girl he'd berated. She _hadn't_ done a thing to him. Sure, just by _living_, by holding the position of Avatar, accomplished bender, and hero of Republic City, she provoked him, but how could she help it?

"I'm sorry."

"What?" It was Tahno's turn to be wakened from a stupor.

"I'm sorry Tahno." Korra pressed a warm hand against the man's chest, easing him back into his seat. "I should have...understood. And I know you didn't mean for the boards to collapse." She paused for a moment, waiting for some sort of confirmation. Korra didn't think he'd been malicious, but it was always good to hear someone say-

"No! No I didn't," Tahno countered alarmingly, his eyebrows raised at the idea of something _that _slimy. Sure, he'd- *ahem*- altered the rules a few times over the course of his career, but never to injure someone. But wait, there was that one time...And during the tournament. Then a couple years ago...

Ok. Maybe there were a few damages. But they never really meant to. Ok maybe they did. Or just never thought about the consequences. Tahno shivered inside, amazed at the waste of it all. The Wolfbats had lied, cheated, and bullied their way to a victory that had no permanence, abused others for titles and rewards that could slip away in a moment's notice.

An instant.

_"Please don't do this!" The mask stared through him, expressionless, empty. A hand rose high._

It was all for nothing. But even if it hadn't been, looking at Korra just feet from away from him, her tan face flooded with relief, Tahno couldn't imagine throwing an avalanche her way. For any reason.

"No, this place is just falling apart. That's all. It's not open for business anymore."

More at ease with Tahno, Korra rose and walked to the window. The sunrise was fading fast. Vibrant colors evaporated into the horizon as Satomobiles began to rumble on the boulevard. If the city was just waking up, Tenzin and his family had risen hours ago. For a while they'd write off her absence as some adventure with Bolin or the others, but by noon, Tenzin's patience would wear thin. He'd worry. Then grow suspicious.

That was one thing Korra couldn't allow.

"It's a prime location. Right by the docks. Foreigners would come from all over the world." Korra could hear the scrape of a chair as Tahno rose. She turned and watched as the man's tall frame made its way toward her. It was a sight that, over the days to come, the Avatar couldn't chase from her mind. Tahno's hair was long and matted and his back bent with a tired curve, but Korra could still see a subtle elegance in his stride. There was a presence to Tahno's figure and slick, husky voice that was impossible to ignore, no matter how well he hid.

"Why did they stop coming?" Korra asked, a desire to understand the regret in Tahno's eyes overpowering her need to leave.

"They didn't stop coming." Tahno was beside Korra now, his attention fixated on some invisible point on the wall. "I did. I left for the arena and _never _came back." He mocked his trademark flair, flipped his hair dramatically and stared into Korra's eyes as if he were about to charm her. "I left for the fame. The _glamour_." He pulled away and stared back into nothingness.

"My mother's restaurant couldn't survive without my help. So two years after I won my first championship, she closed it down. I never knew. A week after I come home from a celebration party. There's a letter tucked under my doorstep, but, well, let's say I was a bit "out-of-it" at the time. My mind wasn't exactly sharp enough to read if you know what I mean. I just crumpled up the thing and threw it in the trash. A month later I found it, searching for fan mail I hadn't meant to throw away. I don't remember what the fan mail said. But the letter..."

Tahno's brow tightened.

"It was from my mother. Just two lines long. She said I dishonored grandfather Lu Ten. And I'd never see her again."

* * *

**Thanks again for the reviews and support! I know I promised I'd reveal more secrets in this chapter- and I most definitely have. Don't miss that last line! I'll follow the first person who can tell me why it's a huge reveal...**

**ready...**

**set...**

**GO!**


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